Sickness always prevails
by PastelSweet
Summary: Piper falls mysteriously ill, and it's up to Aerrow to save her. What's going on with her dreams? Why is Cyclonis always there? Rated T for its somewhat little violence. ON HIATUS.
1. Nightmare

**Hey Guys. Once again, another story (: Maaan im on a roll... But anyway, this is actually going to be my first chapter story! Yaaay, how exciting! For me, at least :P You can thank BlueDragon123 for giving me the courage to finally do it, and possibly commit to it. So, this will be my only story for a fair while. Unless i feel the urge to write another oneshot... Could happen, you know. I was actually ment to be doing my history assignment that was due a week ago but i wrote this instead :O That is comittment right there! Commitment to what, i dont know. But still. Anyway, read and review, yes? I feel i havnt been getting enough of them on my other stories. So yeah (:  
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_Her cold, violet eyes were staring into my very soul. She crowed with delight, like I had made her day absolutely brilliant. I probably had, I realised with a wry smile._

"_Piper, Piper, Piper," she tutted at me, shaking her head disapprovingly. "Why must you be so difficult? You know Cyclonia would love to have you, yet you refuse!" She hissed at me, frustration evidently obvious on her pale, evil features. _

"_Well, what can I say, I'm the refusing type of girl. Just say no and all that," I smirked at her, pleased when she seemed angry with my somewhat witty response. I had to admit, I did start getting worried when she suddenly brushed all anger and displeasure off her face and replaced it with a wide, menacing smile._

_Unease spread through my gut, sucking it down to the soles of my feet. I glared at the girl, trying not to let my fear show._

"_Ah, but Piper, what if I offer you something you can't refuse? Would you then join my ranks?" She sneered at me, a hint of malice colouring her tone._

"_Whatever you've got planned Cyclonis, it won't work," I said fiercely, feeling no confidence in my words. I hope she didn't notice that I was shaking slightly._

"_Oh, but I think this will work, my dear. You know why? Because you care too much. All you squadrons are the same, treating each other like a damn family. But that's not how relationships work, my friend. I'm afraid that sometimes, families get torn apart,"_

_I had to stop the bile rising in my throat. I knew where she was heading with this. And I did not like it. I did not like it at all._

"_Something that I know only too well. And its time, my dear Piper, that you face reality. One day, they're all going to die. And you won't be able to stop it. And you know what? It'll probably be your fault. And then you'll torment yourself over it, all day and night. And then, you'll become just like me. Sick, twisted, demented and evil" she grimaced at me, her eyes full of pain and torture._

_This was unbelievable. This was the first time I've ever seen Cyclonis so... so human, so vulnerable, so evil. But was I going to comfort the girl? Oh, heck no, I was going to try and escape._

"_Well, as much as I'm enjoying this heart to heart Cyclonis, I think its time I left," I announced bravely, standing up from the chair._

_If Cyclonis looked angry before, well, now she looked plain murderous. Her eyes had a crazy glint in them I'd never seen before, and I watched as she stalked towards me._

"_Oh, no Piper. You can't go. Not yet. I haven't given you your surprise!" she feigned shocked hurt at me, raising her hand to her heart in mock pain. _

_I gritted my teeth. I only knew too well what she was up to._

"_You leave them out of this!" I growled at her, clenching my fists._

"_Well, it's a bit late for that isn't it?" She laughed dementedly, like a woman possessed. I felt a flash of anger scorch through my system, burning into my brain._

_Narrowing my eyes into murderous slits, I swung my fist at her face with as much force as I could, but she ducked in time._

"_Oh no, Pipey! I'm your best friend! You can't hurt me like that!" She squealed at me with wide eyes, keeping up her innocent act from before._

"_The hell I can't!" I screamed at her. "And don't you dare call me 'Pipey'!" I screamed even louder, swinging at her again. If only I had my staff._

_Cyclonis just cackled evilly, fleeing to the other side of the room before I had a chance to sink my fist into her face. She snapped her fingers, and instantly 4 talons had grabbed me and rendered me immobile. Keeping up my prissy girl act, I glared at her with such force I was surprised I didn't burn her with it. _

_Snapping her fingers again, 10 more talons entered the room, escorting 5 Storm Hawks with them. I stared at them with worried eyes, suddenly fearing for them. Cyclonis simply laughed in her usual, evil way, watching my expression._

_I could see the fear on all of their faces, and I suddenly felt sick. Very sick. Right to my core kinda sick. _

"_Cyclonis, this is just between you and me. Let them go," I hissed at the girl, feeling stupid since I already knew what her answer would be._

"_Oh what, and let them destroy my plans again, over and over again?" She spat at me, "In your dreams, Piper. I'm just merely letting you suffer, before I dispose of you aswell," She dismissed my being with the wave of her hand. _

_White hot fury seeped through my body though, slowly burning me up. And Cyclonis knew it too._

_She snickered at me, before ordering Dark Ace to enter the room. Swivelling my head around, I instantly saw his blood red eyes and felt more hate spread through me. He strode up to Cyclonis and knelt before her._

_I made a noise of disgust, and he turned to stare at me with those soulless eyes. _

"_Do you want me to dispose of the girl?" he asked, sounding hopeful._

"_Not yet, I want you to dispose of them first," she pointed a bony finger towards my teammates, my family._

"_No!" I shrieked at her, trying to twist myself out of the talons grasps, but they held me firm. She simply smiled at me, like she found this amusing. Then, to my horror, he strode towards my friends, my best friends, and pulled out his blade._

_No amount of shrieking could stop what was happening. One by one, each met their deaths, each more gruesome than the one before._

_I was crying, and I was crying hard. My figure rattled from the sobbing and screams I was emitting, becoming more frantic and more louder every second._

_Dark Ace stepped towards Aerrow, a sneer fitting his expression. Aerrow simply stared at him blankly, before turning towards me. There were tears in his eyes._

"_I'm sorry," He whispered, keeling as Dark Ace's Sword plunged into him._

I woke up in the middle of the night, screaming and gasping for air._ Not real, not real!_ My mind was screaming at me, tears still streaming down my face. Lying there, I realised I felt funny. Standing up, I felt a sudden rush of dizziness. Clutching my nearby desk for support, I didn't feel like myself. I felt slightly feverish, and had a small headache at the back of my eyes. Moving my limbs, I realised they ached. Like I had just run a marathon, then swum to the bottom of the ocean and back, then run another marathon for the hell of it.

Lying down again, my eyes shut themselves automatically. Needing no further push, I sunk back into unconsciousness.

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_**Oh my god, i feel so evil! But man, i loved writing Cyclonis's parts. I think some evil part in me is coming out. Dear lord, run for cover! Anyway, Read and review please, or otherwise i might become one of those crazy writers who demand reviews before they post another chapter. And i dont think we want that... me and demanding do NOT go together! So yeah, review if you know whats good for you (:**


	2. Sickness Or Crazyness?

**Oh dear lord, i was struck by the evil bug once again! Well anyway, heres chapter two. I got this up quite quickly didnt i? Im quite proud of myself acually. It took 3 hours to write this chapter! But it was worth it... i need to stop making my chapters so long or i'll never get this done! Anyway, quick thanks to my two reviewers-**

**pluvia somnium - Dont worry, i dont plan on killing Piper. Yet. Hahaha kidding, i probably wont. I like her too much, she's good to write.  
BlueDragon123 - Thanks for the idea, and the good praise. I kinda kept on the whole nightmare thing, i think its because i watched a show on dreams last night... i dont know. But anyway, i quite enjoy the insulting nickname Pipey.. it sounds cute. I know, emotions everywhere! Run for cover!  
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Waking up, I realised I couldn't make my eyelids open. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get them to budge. Giving up on that, I just lay there. It was a moment before I realised there was something cool on my forehead. Reaching up towards the object, my arm felt like it didn't belong to me, like it was a strangers. Except I could feel the pain. Oh yeah, I could feel the pain.

"She's awake!" I heard a voice exclaim, it was relieved. The hands that were touching my face disappeared suddenly, and this time I forced my eyes open. I had too.

Looking up, I saw Aerrow standing there. _He _had been the relieved voice, I realised. I couldn't tell whether I blushed or not, but if I did, I hoped he didn't notice.

"What's wrong with me?" I whispered, finding it difficult to move my lips.

"Your sick, pretty badly too, I'd say," he said, looking at me with concern. "We think you have a fever, but we aren't sure. We're going to the nearest Terra with a hospital."

"Hospital?" I nearly shrieked, but I couldn't move my lips. It sounded more like "Hosphipool?"

It was then I noticed the figure standing behind Aerrow. I didn't even have to see the green skin to know it was Stork. Naturally, he was wearing his little ensemble of pans, rubber duck tube and crazy glasses. I didn't bother asking why.

"Look, I don't need to go to the hospital, okay? I'll be fine. Seriously. Just give me a couple of days and I'll be fine," I tried to reason, but I don't think it worked. Probably because my words sounded like mush.

"Just get some sleep, and we'll be at the hospital in no time," he told me, giving me a pat on the shoulder as he left the room. Turning my head in the direction of Stork, his eye was twitching rapidly. He said something, but I wasn't listening. It was probably just about doom anyway. Closing my eyes again, I fell right back into my sleep.

_It was dark, so very, very dark. Where was the light? Why wasn't there a light? Shouldn't there be a light? I stumbled around in the darkness, trying to find my way. My way to where, I had no idea. I just had to do it. _

_Walking further into the nothingness, I felt a chill. Now it was cold, so very, very cold… and dark. Cold and dark… Why?_

_Shivering, I pulled my arms around myself, viciously rubbing the top of my arms with my hands to keep them warm with friction._

"_Cold, are we?" a voice behind me asked, a cruel edge to their tone. Of course she would be here, naturally. Whirling around, I saw her sneering at me, her violet eyes full of evil, amusement and delight._

"_What do you want, Cyclonis?" I asked exasperatedly, hoping she would go away._

"_Oh nothing, nothing… I just heard that you're rather sick, and thought I should come visit you. Maybe I should have bought a get well card? A bunch of flowers? Anything to ease the pain for you, dear Piper," she smirked, malice creeping into her voice._

_Narrowing my eyes at her, I knew she was up to something._

"_But that's where you're wrong. I'm not sick. Do I look sick to you?" I asked, gesturing to my illness free body._

"_In this world you don't look ill," she said cryptically, not bothering to explain the meaning behind her words._

"_Oh, and what's that supposed to mean, hey? I'm sorry we can't all be geniuses like you and figure things like these out instantly." I snapped at her, fed up with her ridiculous answers that only raised more questions._

_She raised her eyebrows at me in surprise, and then let an evil grin spread on her face._

"_Oh dear Pipey, I forgot how fun it was to mess with you! So easily angered," she said, shaking her head in disapproval._

"_Like you can talk," I spat back at her, my hands instantly clenching into fists. She noticed this, and her eyes turned into slits._

"_Try anything and you'll be sorry," she hissed at me, daring me to make a move. I grinned at her. How could I not hit her? Swinging my fist at her face, I was pleased when I heard the crunch of it hitting her nose._

"_You stupid girl!" she screeched at me, grabbing her nose to stop the bleeding. The crimson red blood flowing out of it made me satisfied. Its vibrant colour against all this depressing darkness made me slightly cheered as well._

"_You have no idea what you just did" she hissed murderously at me, before using a crystal to heal her injured nose. I smirked at her._

"_I'm pretty sure I do know what I just did," I retorted, rubbing my knuckles._

"_I'm pretty sure you don't, you stupid, stupid girl! And now, you're going to suffer for it." She whispered menacingly to me. I rolled my eyes. It was worth it, whatever she had for me._

_She grinned at my overconfidence, reaching for something in her pocket. It was only when she lifted it to show me, I realised what it was. It was a picture of Aerrow._

"_What are you going to do with that?" I asked nervously, not liking the look on her face. She simply placed a finger on the picture, and then it was blank. Now it was just a normal, white sheet of paper._

_She suddenly looked very excited, like a kid on Christmas day might. I glared at her, trying to cover my nerves._

"_Oh, look Pipey! Someone's here to visit you!" She exclaimed childishly, pretending to be a little kid. This girl had serious mood changes._

"_What's going on?" I heard the familiar voice behind me, and I was afraid to turn around. Turning slowly, I saw Aerrow, looking around confusedly._

_I could hear Cyclonis cackling like a demented witch, and I turned around to give her the death stare._

"_Oh Pipey, Look who it is! It's only your most favourite Sky Knight in the world!" Oh God, there was nothing in the world I wanted more than to punch her again right now. My hands balled into fists, and she simply laughed at me._

"_Punch me again and I'll drag more of them into this," she threatened in a low voice, smiling at my horror. "Just a word of advice to you two, if you die in this world, you die in your real world," She laughed maniacally, before disappearing with a slight shimmer. I did notice, however, that she was clutching a crystal before she vanished. _

_Maybe there was a way out of this…_

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**Mwua ha ha! i've given hope! Which is a suprise, because this isnt the direction i was planning on my story taking. Whatever happens happens i guess. Actually, to be truthful, i had no idea where i was taking this story anyway... But now i do! Hehehe... This might be my last update for a while guys, unless i update again tonight, or most likely tomorrow morning, because i will soon be out of reach of the internet except once a weekend maybe, when im able to steal my sisters laptop for a few hours... the horror of my computers internet not working! ** **So all you people better review, or else i wont be happy. Yes, i even want you anonymous people to review, and the people who are too lazy to log in. Yes, im one of those people too sometimes... dear lord im blabbering now. Anyway, In conclusion, review, otherwise it'll take longer to get these chapters up. And i dont think we want that :O**


	3. Needles, Oh My Dear Lord Not Needles!

**Third chapter! This ones a little shorter than my other ones i think, but that means i got to put it up quicker... which is pretty good (: Umm this might be my last one for a week or so, unless i can get the fourth one up tomorrow morning, which i hope i can. So this chapter kinda leads up to the next one, and i thought i should put a tiny bit of Piper and Aerrow in there, just or the fun of it :P Also, im not quite sure what flu symptoms are really, ive never quite had it. Im just making them up as i go along, of course. So, you know the drill. Read and review !  
Review replies:  
Smartkitty314 - i know! im quite liking Cyclonis at the moment, i might do a little one shot bout her and her life if i ever get in the mood.. could happen (:  
Diehardstormhawksfan - Oh i know, im quite enjoying the evilness i've written, all my other fics are so innocent! I think i might be becoming evil... Run for the hills!  
Love Shall Never Die - Updated ! Its good to know your enjoying the story (: i am too actually, how odd :P  
delphigirl689 - Oh, im going to keep writing this! Im not going to abandon it, like some writers do. *Glare at all authors who have disbanded the fanfics i was enjoying reading*****  
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Wrenching my eyes open, I couldn't understand where I was. Looking around the room, I realised it could only be a hospital. The bland colours everywhere, the plastic blinds, the beeping from a nearby machine… wait, why's there a machine near me? Wait, there's a _needle_ in me. _A needle! _I hate needles! I could feel something trickling through my veins, something thick and sludgy, and it _hurt._ Wait, this must be a drip, or an _IV_, or whatever.

Using my needle-free arm, I moved it over to my other arm to wrench the needle from it, when a certain hand caught my wrist.

"Oh, no you don't," he grinned, pulling my hand away from the needle. "That stays there, got it?" I looked at him in disbelief. He was making me keep that _wretched_ needle in my arm! I probably didn't even need it. Well, I probably did. I just didn't care whether I did or not.

"Where's the others?" I managed to ask, searching the room for them. Aerrow pointed at the window which showed the waiting room, and I can't say I was surprised at what I saw.

Finn and Junko were wrestling with a candy machine, trying to get some free candy I'm guessing, being evil-eyed by some nearby nurses, while Stork was brandishing a stick of some sort to keep the nurses away from him.

I sighed inwardly, couldn't they ever be normal?

Aerrow must of known what I was thinking, and gave a sheepish smile. "Well, don't worry about Radar. Radar's being well behaved… for Radar. He's just climbing through the vents in the roof… hey, he got bored, okay?" he came to his friend's defence, after seeing my annoyed expression. I calmed down somewhat, not caring anymore. Maybe it was the drugs doing that. I didn't know.

"How long have I been here?" I asked, feeling strange.

"Oh, about 14 hours. You slept the whole time! And you wouldn't wake up! We thought you were dead, except you were still breathing. And then, when I went to sleep, I had the _weirdest_ dream! You were there, and so was Cyclonis," he said, his eyebrows knitting together in frustration, like he couldn't figure out something that was troubling him.

"Really?" my voice was shaking, and I was confused. How come we had the same dream? Well, part of it anyway. He came later in the dream, after the talking with Cyclonis. "I had that dream too," I said, shocked. How was this _possible?_ Dreams weren't real… but how else did she get Aerrow in that dream, just by touching his picture? It was beyond insanity! But… she had a crystal. A pretty, purple, glowing crystal. I don't think she meant to let me see it either, which meant something strange was going on. As usual.

Aerrow was about to say something, but at that exact moment in time the door flung open and Finn and Junko entered the room, chocolate smeared all over their faces.

"Uhh, guys? You've got a little something on your face," I told them, trying not to laugh. Finn just rolled his eyes with Junko and rubbed their hands over their faces, trying to rid themselves of the mess, but it only spread it more, and for some reason that made me giggle. Wait, I _never_ giggled. This had to be the drugs.

The doctor entered then, brandishing an intimidating looking chart.

"Well, Miss Piper, it seems that you have a bad case of the flu," he announced cheerfully, like this was good news. But something inside me was telling me I didn't have the flu… that it was something different, something _worse._ "All you need is some rest, plenty of fluids and no strenuous exercise for at least a week," he told me, smiling. I felt like wiping that smile of his face, an unusual reaction. I usually reserved such feelings for Cyclonis.

"Does that mean I can go?" I said frostily, surprised that he replied back with a cheerful "Sure does."

Walking out of the hospital sure sounds like an easy task, but it honestly wasn't for me. I could barely stand up straight, and they had no available wheelchairs to wheel me out. Besides, that'd be _embarrassing. _Instead, I had to lean heavily against Aerrow, his arm around my waist. This felt nice, actually, besides the whistles and remarks from Finn. I know, I shouldn't be thinking of Aerrow like that, but how could I not? Smart, strong, handsome, fearless as he is… Oh God, I sound like some teenage schoolgirl! My nightmares had become true… but I shuddered, remembering that that wasn't my only nightmare…

"_Piper, what's going on?" Aerrow asked me worriedly, not that I didn't blame him. He had just been torn from some wonderful dream of beating the Dark Ace probably, and thrown into my living, or sleeping, nightmare._

"_I don't know," I answered truthfully, staring around into the blackness._

"_What… where'd she just go?" he sounded awfully confused, just like I was._

"_I don't know," I repeated, not wanted to admit it._

"_Well, that's a first," he grinned. "Piper not having a clue on what's going on," he teased me._

"_Shut up," I laughed, glad that unlike Finn, he didn't rub my face in it meanly.  
"Let's just figure a way out of here," I reasoned, trying to think of a way to get out of nothing. How in the Atmos do you get out of nothing?_

"_What, you mean like pinching yourself or something?" he guessed, looking at me for approval of his theory._

"_Well, can't hurt that much to try," I grinned, shooting forward and pinching him. Next thing I knew, I was by myself. Again. Sighing, I pinched myself awake.  
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**Did we like or not like? I wasnt so sure bout that one, but i think it turned out okay. Doesnt matter anyway, ive nearly finished the next chapter, and i think its pretty good (: Do i plan some kind of evil in the next chapter? Maybe, maybe not :P So yeah, read and review or you mightnt get the next chapter till next week :O**


	4. Cursed By A Witch, Sounds About Right

**Woo chapter 4! im proud of myself, i really am. Anyway, i had fun writing this. i really did. And i would kinda like more people reviewing, yeah?  
Replies to reviews:  
Smartkitty314 - Really? Im glad you liked it... i was posotive that was something Finn would do, and then i decided to drag Junko into it :P  
BlueDragon123 - Inspired? No... i had no idea's on how to end that dream thing so i went for the usual pinch hehehe...  
Pluvia somnium - Shall do (:  
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It was strange, waking up in my own bed this time. I felt oddly distorted, like I wasn't actually in my own body. Surprisingly enough, I didn't feel any better than I did yesterday. My limbs still ached, and my head still pounded.

Somehow, I managed to get out of my bed and dress, and made my way towards the crystal lab. I had to figure this out, figure out what on Atmos was going on. It sure was an effort getting there, I had to stop several times and lean against the wall for support. I hated feeling weak.

Entering my lab, I nearly cried with relief when I saw on the stool. Quickly grabbing my books, I searched intently for the mysterious crystal I had seen Cyclonis holding. It was an hour into my search that I crossed it, and nearly had a heart attack. The exact moment I found it, my lab door slid open and Aerrow barged in.

"Why aren't you in bed?" he demanded angrily. "You need to be getting better!"

"I don't have the stupid flu, numbskull!" I angrily replied. Man, there was a lot of anger going about right now.

"Oh, so the doctor was wrong? I think not Piper, you need to get back to bed," he said, determination on his face. Determination to probably drag me back to my room and force me to rest. Aerrow could be so pushy sometimes.

"Yes, the doctor was wrong Aerrow. You know those crazy dreams? Well, I think know what's going on, and I think they're the things that are making me sick," I explained, hoping he would believe me.

"Explain," he demanded, sitting onto the spare stool near me.

"Well, from what this books telling me it's called a Dream Crystal, and it's insanely rare. How Cyclonis got her hands on one I have no idea, but we have to either get our own, or destroy hers," I answered, shutting the book.

"How do we destroy it?" he queried.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully, but I was sure there was a simple way we could find out. Ofcourse, we'd have to be careful. This person doesn't exactly like us all too well. "Let's go ask Gundstaff."

Leaving the room, I had to lean on Aerrow. Again. At least Finn wasn't around this time. But, I was kinda glad I had an excuse to do this. It was nice to pretend, that maybe he cared about me like I did for him.

Once we told Stork where we were headed, he didn't exactly sound too happy, but I didn't care. It was decided that only Aerrow, Finn and I were to go see Gundstaff. It was also decided we would wear cloaks over our uniforms, so he didn't recognize us.

Finally reaching the Terra he inhabited, I was relieved to find it raining. Now he wouldn't raise any questions about us wearing these cloaks.

Making our way to the giant's house, I suddenly grew nervous. What if he saw through us? But I needn't have worried, as he let us enter his home without much suspicion.

"What do you need?" he asked us gruffly. I could see he was eyeing Finn, but I can't say I blame him. The poor boy was tripping over everything in sight. Just as I was about to explain to Gundstaff our problem, Finn, being the genius he is, pulled back the hood of his cloak, going crazy with worry over getting hood hair. Idiot.

"Storm Hawks!" Gundstaff's voice thundered, angered at being decepted so easily.

"No, wait! You don't understand!" I yelled at the giant, trying to shove Finns hood back on.

"She's sick!" Aerrow yelled too, causing Gundstaff to halt his verbal ranting.

"Sick? Show me," he asked suspiciously. Not that I blamed him. Pulling my hood down, he studied me.

"Yes, the girl looks sick. But what can I do?"

"We need you to tell us about the Dream Crystal. That's what's making her sick," Aerrow explained swiftly, eager to get out before Gundstaff lost his temper again.

"Dream Crystal? This isn't good. There is only one way to cure the girl, and it won't be easy," he warned, but Aerrow obviously didn't care.

"Tell us," he demanded politely.

"There is a story involved… but you will listen and copy what the boy in the story does," Gundstaff ordered, motioning us to sit on the floor.

"_There once was a girl, a young, kind girl, who was cursed by a witch in her dreams. The witch cursed the girl through spite and jealousy, with evil intentions. The girl fell very ill, suffering horrible fevers, headaches and a sore, aching body. But they meant nothing to the girl's dreams. Every night, the girl had horrible nightmares, each varying in situations but still remaining the same degree of horror. The witch was delighted with the results, and became over-confident. Trying to be smart, she dragged the boy into the girl's nightmares, placing both at great peril. That was the witch's one mistake though. She underestimated the boy, placing her attention mostly on making the girl suffer. The boy was smart though, and undermined the witch. He did so by collecting three items, the three rarest items in Atmos, then destroying the evil crystal with it. He had collected a bottle of phoenix blood, a Helix crystal and a vial of Kraegon powdered scales. Together, he fashioned these three objects into a powerful crystal, the Flekch Crystal. This was the first one ever made. He kept the Crystal hidden in his pocket when he went to sleep that night, to make sure he had it with him in the dream. When he entered the dream land, he caught the witch by surprise, shattering the crystal into 8 pieces. He then picked up the shards of the Dream Crystal, and used it to fix the girl. Then, he buried the crystal in 8 different locations all over the Atmos, hoping to save others from its horrible wrath. To this day, the location of the Flekch Crystal and Dream Crystal shards is unsure, as the boy never told anyone where he had hidden either, hoping to rid the world of all evil intentions."_

"So, I need to go get those three items, turn them into a powerful crystal and destroy Cyclonis's crystal with it?" Aerrow summarized, standing to his feet.

"Don't be fooled boy, it is a hard task. The boy from the tale nearly died many times over, but he found the strength to go on. He really cared for the girl, like a lover," Gundstaff said, embarrassing Aerrow and me. I looked at the floor, while Aerrow probably rubbed the back of his neck. All I could hear though was Finn laughing.

"Shut up, Finn!" I grumbled, elbowing the moronic blonde.

The walk back to the ship was an awkward, silent one. I didn't mind though, my thoughts were on the task ahead. Once we were on board the Condor, Aerrow and Finn told the story to the others, while I grabbed maps to find the closest location of one of the items. From my quick searches, it appeared that getting the bottle of Phoenix blood would be first, seeing as we were only half an hour away from the nesting place of one. I bit my lip in hesitation.

This was going to be hard.

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**Yay or nay? Im inbetween... but it doesn't really matter. What matters is what YOU guys think! Now, this might be my last chapter for a week or two, unless i can get my sisters laptop tomorrow night or tonight. And if i get my history assignment done in the next few hours... which isnt looking good. Speeches, anyone? Im dead nervous... Oh look, im babbling again. You know the drill, Read and REVIEW. REVIEW. REVIEW. REVIEW. Hehehe... **


	5. Phoenix Blood is Gold, Apparently

Hey guys, 5th chapter! Okay, so this is part 1 of Aerrows quest to save Piper, and it actually went pretty good i think. I could of been alot eviller, but i decided against it. Sadly. Luckily for you guys, i got my mitts on my sisters laptop for tonight, so i got to post this chapter. Sadly to say, i dont think i'll be getting it again any time soon. Anyway, Read and review, yes?  
Review replies:  
pluvia somnium - Aw, your making me blush! But I have no idea on how they're going to get it, to tell the truth. I cant even remeber what they said about it in the show... google time!  
BlueDragon123 - You really think so? Thats awesome. I've sort of lost all idea's on what on earth im doing with this, so dont hate me if it goes downhill! And i have absolutely no idea what a Kraegon is. But i guess we'll both find out what it is soon enough! Scavenger hunt time... hehehhe  
delphigirl689 - Yeah, im starting to get to the nub of things! ahahha nub.. what a funny word! And i think i updated pretty soon... a day's pretty good!  
Smartkitty314 - Hahahah yep, you bet she is. That's what Dark Ace called her, isnt it? In the last episode, i recall he called her an arrogant witch :p Yeah i know, im sick of the good guys always winning! The evil part in me wants Cyclonis to win... but the good part wants the Storm hawks to win... Why must i want both sides to win? Maybe i could make that happen... in a wierd way hahahaha. Yeah, i know Gundstaff and Piper got on good terms, so im liking to think this happened before that episode, but im not sure when. I havnt watched the series in a VERY long time O.o . Oh, could a story not be complete without a quest? Actually, yes. But still. Hehehehe...

* * *

_**APOV**_

I had no idea how to do this. Not that I'd admit it, of course. I was armed with a paralyser crystal, a bottle and a rather large syringe. I don't know why I was so nervous, I never got nervous.

Maybe it was what Gundstaff said. His words still echoed in my head. _"Don't be fooled boy, it is a hard task. The boy from the tale nearly died many times over, but he found the strength to go on. He really cared for the girl, like a lover," _he told me.

It wasn't so much the hard task or dying parts that had me worried, it was the lover stuff. I mean, sure, I like Piper and all, she's a nice girl and she's one of my best friends and all, but I didn't know whether I liked her _that_ way or not. I'm confused! I mean, sure, she's _pretty, _and she's really smart, and she's really brave, and she's funny, and she's nice, and she's… Oh, who am I kidding, I like her. A lot.

But what if it's not enough? What if I don't like her enough to get this done? Do the feelings have to be reciprocated? Does she have to like me too? Because I'm pretty sure she doesn't… aw, _focus on the mission Aerrow!_

Entering the phoenix's cave, I was relieved to find it sleeping. Tiptoeing to the side of its slumbering form, I felt no need to paralyze it. Surely it wouldn't notice a small prick?

I was wrong. The phoenix's eyes ripped open, and it let out a deafening screech. _The crystal Aerrow, use the crystal! _My head was screaming at me, as the phoenix was thrashing around, trying to dispatch the sharp object.

Grabbing the crystal, I aimed it at the bird and let loose. Instantly, the bird's cries and thrashing ceased, its eyes looking shocked. Can't say I blamed it for looking like that. Walking over to it, it growled at me. I just smiled in reply, re-stabbing the syringe into its wing. Attaching the bottle to the back of the syringe, I was surprised at what colour the blood was. It was a shiny, liquid gold. I was amazed. Quickly screwing the lid shut on the bottle, I pulled out the syringe from the phoenix's wing and exited its cave.

Jumping on my skimmer, I had just taken off into the air when I heard an all too familiar screech. Couldn't that bird at least stay paralyzed until I was gone? Apparently not, because that would be too _easy, _wouldn't it?

Gritting my teeth, I was clumsily ducking out of the phoenix's way trying not to drop the bottle, when it happened.

Pulling up to avoid the phoenix's fiery wrath, I had forgotten about the syringe innocently sitting a few centremetres ahead of where I was. The syringe suddenly slid down, stabbing me in my thigh. I suddenly understood why the phoenix acted the way it did. It _hurt._

I decided against pulling it out, reasoning that it would probably just stab me again, and I was too busy anyway, with the current situation.

"Guys, get ready, I need to make an emergency landing!" I radioed to Stork, praying that he was listening to the transmitter.

Luckily he was, as I landed in the hanger bay with a loud crash, misjudging the distance of the wall.

"Urgghh…" I groaned, not wanting to get up. It hurt too much. _The bottle! Check the bottle!_ My mind urged me, much to my annoyance. Sitting up, I realized I was still clutching the bottle, and it didn't even have a scratch on it. Stupid bottle, how come it got off so easy? Grumbling to myself, I stood up, before nearly falling back down.

Staring at the part of my thigh where the syringe had originally stabbed me and was sitting lightly, I couldn't see it at all, except for the non-needle part. That was when I felt it.

"_Ahhh!" _I yelled in pain, hopping around on un-needled leg trying to pull it out.

"Hey dude, did you get the- _what is that?!?"_ Finn screamed, pointing at the top of the needle.  
"Oh, nothing," I said calmly, trying to play it cool. I don't think it was working. Piper entered the room then, looking worse than before. She looked at the bottle in my hand and a pretty smile lit up her face, but then she saw where fin was pointing and it was replaced by horror.

"What did you _do?!?_" she nearly yelled, staring at the needle. I sighed.

"Don't worry about that, I got the phoenix blood! That's more important," I said, slightly blushing as I realized that I pretty much said _she_ was more important than _me_. This was true, but still. She _had_ to know I liked her now.

"Well yeah, that's good Aerrow, but _we have to get that needle out of you_!" she said, forcing me out of the hangar bay and into the medical area.

Finn was the one who had to pull it out, as Junko was being… Junko, Stork was too paranoid, and Piper was too sick. She looked a lot worse now, but I couldn't focus on that as Finn ripped the syringe out in a single pull.

Never again.

* * *

**So guys, like or not like? I have a morbid fear of needles, as you people can probably guess by now. Anyway, this will be my last update for a while. Im getting back to school again, after having two weeks off with severe asthma problems. Thats why ive had so much writing time! And schools pretty hectic right now, i have a thousand assignments due and a speech! I HATE SPEECHES. Anway, read and review pleeeease. I want more than 4 this time, maybe 6 or above please? I even want you anonymus people to review, yes you, the people too lazy to make an account or log in. I WANT REVIEWS FROM ALL OF YOU... Told you im not good when i demand these things :P So yeah. Review, or you mightnt get a new chapter for WEEKS! Oh, the horror! So, all in all, review or it'll take longer to get the next thrilling installment! Loveyou's :)**


	6. Why, why, and why again

**Hey guys! Gosh, its been a while hasn't it? Well, im HONESTLY sorry about that! I just got so caught up with finishing year 9 that i forgot about this kinda, and then all my good friends decided to have birthday and end of school parties, so i was out at those too! But its holidays now, so i might have more time to update for you ;) Anyway guys, guess what? It's my birthday on christmas, which is so very very close! So my present for you guys is trying very, VERY hard to get the next chapter up before then! And if i dont, feel free to kill me. Anyway, thankyou SO SO SO MUCH for your reviews! Honestly, there were so many!  
Replies to your WONDERFUL reviews!:  
Sapphearceskyy- Hahah yeah, its odd how i can spread the fear of needles! Must be a talent :D  
Diehardstormhawksfan- Yeah, needles are yucky.. gah. But turns out these needles were bad too, because they said i have anemia! Grr. Glad to know you enjoyed the chapter (:  
BlueDragon123- I DEFINETLY do not like speeches. I have serious self confidence issues, but its okay because i didnt have to do it... Know why? Because im a rebel :P  
starfirix- You did like the story? PHEW! I'm starting to think its getting a bit off track... but thats okay... i never really knew where i was taking it anyway! Hahahah aw yeah, same. I just get a bit freaked out when i see the blood going everywhere... And my dad always laughs! Yeah, thanks for your great support, Dad. Loveyou too hahahhaha.  
delphigirl689- Yup, two things to go! I think i might spread them out though, just for the hell of it :P  
Midnight-Rose-Dew- Oh, thank heavens, my first straightforward I-didnt-like-this-part-of-your-story review! I know, i just had no idea what else to put in! I thought of having the Dark Ace pop up, but i just couldn't figure out how i'd work it all together so i jtsu gave up and subsituted it with needles :P  
Love Shall Never Die- Naw, thanks (: Im all into the cute stuff at the moment, i absolutely love cute moments in things!  
Smartkitty314- Oh, really? I found it super hard to write as Aerrow! With Piper, its more natural i guess. I can see her point of view a lot more clearly than Aerrows :P Aerrows too hard for me to write i reckon. Hahah yeah, im enjoying the evil parts ive put in. I might have to put in more :O Watch out, Stormhawks! Beware of Phsyco when she gets... well, Phsyco!  
pluvia somnium- Well, the big deal about Aerrow being stabbed with the needle is kind of important for this chapter :P You know how people are always saying "dont share needles or you'll get aids or an infection!" And stuff like that? Well, i kinda took that information on board for this chapter... mwuahahahaha!  
**

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SPOV

I knew we were doomed. Right from the very start, I knew it. Piper getting sick was only an omen, of much, _much_ worse things to come. Aerrow getting a dangerous infection from the syringe? Yeah, that was nothing. Piper, getting worse and worse as the days flew by? Yeah, that was nothing. Nothing compared to what I was about to do.

Armed with every object I could get my hands on needed to drive away the horrible beasts that lurked beneath this gaping hole into the ground, I couldn't help a small twitch escape.

"Get over it Stork, we have to do this," Finn tried to re-assure me, giving me a somewhat awkward pat on the shoulder. "If we don't, who will?" he questioned me, trying to fit a brave expression on his face. It wasn't working.

"Umm, couldn't you radio Starling or something, and get HER to do it?" I pointed out reasonably, fidgeting with the saucepan on my head.

"Uhh, NO, because Aerrow would find out what we were up to and then we wouldn't be able to do this," he said like it was obvious. Oh, how I pitied him. Rolling my eyes at his foolishness, I eyed the huge hole in the ground.

"Shouldn't someone know we were doing this, though? So if we didn't come back, they'd know why?" I asked Finn, imagining my elaborate funeral already.

"Well, they don't need to know where here because we'll come back, Stork. I mean, how can't we? We're team Finnster!" He announced loudly, pulling himself into many different heroic poses.

There was no way we were making it out of there alive.

Eying the hole again, I decided if I was being doomed, it might as well be for a noble cause. Giving up with a whimpering sigh, I slowly put one foot into the impenetrable darkness, watching the black swallow it. I gave a small gulp. I could see the resolve in Finn's face.

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" I asked considerately, a slow smile spreading my face as I saw he was about to say no, but it disappeared the split second he answered with a shaky "No, we have to do this." Why did he care so much? It wasn't like they were going to die or anything.

Shaking my head in disappointment, or disapproval of his answer, whichever you prefer, I lowered myself into the menacing black.

It wasn't that bad once we got down there, really. The depressing black seemed kind of homey, and the dark, damp smell was kind of okay, once you got used to it. I had probably contracted over a hundred diseases down here, but it was for a good cause. I wanted Piper to get better as much as everyone else did. It really wasn't the same without her, looking after everything and everyone and even getting an intelligent conversation every once in a while. I stifled a sigh, continuing our long journey to find the Kraegons.

Finn's brave courage was disappearing however, every minute spent in this place was easily taking its toll on him. He was getting that nervy edge, jumping at anything that moved an inch. It was just as I was about to suggest that we should go back to my beloved Condor we found them.

They weren't hard to miss, their huge slumbering forms slumped on the ground in awkward positions, each located a reasonable distance from each other. I pointed them out to Finn, who visibly grew pale. I sighed. I guess this was up to me.

Edging towards their figures, I grabbed my small container and crept towards the smallest Kraegon.

It was when I reached it I realised I had no tools to remove the blue, shiny scales covering their body. I tip-toed around the Kraegon, paying a great deal of attention to the rather nasty looking horn on its head. I slowly circled the creature, looking for any part where the scales might be loose. It was a waste of time.

"What's taking so long?" I heard Finn hiss, his voice echoing in the small cavern.

"I can't get the scales off them!" I hissed back, my temper flaring at his inconsiderate assumption that I was incapable of what would seem an easy task, if I had the right tools.

Finn came over then, and inspected the Kraegon himself.

"Hmmm," he murmured, trying to be intelligent I guess. I simply looked at him, daring him to say anything.

"I…guess I should have… thought this through… properly," he managed to say, weighing each word carefully before he said it. Wise of him.

I simply glared at him, folding my arms over my chest.

"You reckon," I said, my voice practically dripping with sarcasm. He just looked at me, a blank expression on his face. Great.

"Well… I think I know how to solve this!" Finn suddenly whispered excitedly, striding up to the Kraegon. I simply saw the smile on his face, and knew this was not a good idea.

"Uhh, Finn, I don't really think that's a goo-"

_RAAAWWWRRR!_

"RUN!" Finn screamed at me, streaking past me with amazing speed. Following him, we sped through the many caverns littering the place, quickly losing track of which way was which. Slowly coming to a halt, I could no longer hear the deafening roars of the Kraegons, nor the scattering of other beasts fighting to get out of their way. My ears twitched, sensing the loneliness of this tiny room. Staring around, my eyes tried to pierce the darkness, but were failing miserably. This place spelled doom all over. Feeling a hand reach out and grab my shoulder, I jumped before realising it had to be Finn.

Turning around, I quickly realised that it wasn't Finn, and it wasn't a hand either. The strange, violet eyes said it all.

Why me.

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**Yay or nay, guys? I kinda wrote that chapter in a hurry, since i wont be able to update for a long time probably if i didn't get this up tonight. Oh, what am i doing writing a chapter story when i wont be able to update often? I blame school, home and the fact i dont have my own computer, and me using fanfiction is a secret! Lets keep it OUR secret, shall we guys? If anyone found out about this, well, they'd laugh at me, so lets all keep this to us, shall we? Hahaha im so paranoid... So did we enjoy me writing as Stork or not? I tried to write as Stork-like as i could in this, but i found that hard too. Anyway, Review guys, or it could be maybe a month and a bit before i update again :O I could make it quicker though, if i tried...**


	7. Its Always Evil & Strangers

**Hey guys! Sorry for the super late update, it was the soonest i could get it up before i go away on holidays for a bit. I could of gotten it up earlier, but i've had some real rough few weeks and nothing been going my way. I got dumped by my best guy friend who was pretty much my boyfriend, then my cousin nearly died in an accident because hes way too hyper, then i lost my usb, then it was my birthday and now its new years! So this is my last post for 2009 then :p Bring it on, 2010! Okay, well, all in all, I need you guys to vote in the poll im putting up soonish on whether this story should have a sad or happy ending... because im quite lost on that idea. As much as im set on the idea of a good happy ending, a tragic one is quite appealing right now. But now, since im freshly 15, i promise that i will update at every chance i get, because im planning on dragging out this story alot longer! Mwuahaha.... :) So anyway, sorry that this chapters a bit short, but read anyway!  
Replies to your lovely reviews- theyre the things that keep me going actually! :  
Amethyst- Hahah yeah, thats a lesson to you all kiddies! Never try what Finn does.  
The Rose of the Rush- Updated! Man, i love posotive reviews (: By the way, cool penname !  
Gatomon Fan 7- Oh, you reckon? I thought i made Stork a tad OC-ish, but its nice to know someone else thinks differently :) Hahah yeah, i feel so proper writing the way i do! Im so lazy with my talking and when i write in class and such that writing all proper like my stories is real thrilling! Hahaha.  
delphigirl689- Updated! I hope my little message to you doesnt alarm you or anything! It may be a while before i update again, however. But lets all hope for the best!  
Midnight-Rose-Dew- Yeah, i love Finn and i thought that was something Finn would do :p Sorry bout sometimes alarming all you people with my omnious Im-not-updating-for-a-long-long-time thing! So i sincerely apoloigze... hehehe :)  
Smartkitty314- Aww thankyou! Gee, i think im blushing :P  
pluvia-somnium- Hahahah i never said anything about aids! But maybe there might be osmething bad in store for Aerrow.. it all dependes on how you people vote! Thats right, im putting my first poll up! Gosh, im nervous! Hahahah yeah, i get obsessive bout their pairing too. But im finding it hard to fit it in with this story.. but im sure i'll manage!**  
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_**

**_SPOV_**

"Hello, Stork," she greeted casually, smirking at my obvious fear. "How are you this fine day?"

"What do you want?" I asked nervously, twitching. "Where's Finn?"

"Finn has been… taken care of," She replied offhandedly, like she was bored being here. She probably was. "But what I want? Ah, now _that's_ a different story," she grinned maniacally at me, taking a step towards me. It was then I realised that she wasn't truly _there;_ she was a hologram image, a mere picture projected into this cavern. She was probably in her throne room right now, just walking around in the empty space, seeing me through some weird crystal of hers.

"What do you mean… taken c_are _of?" I hissed at her, trying to not yell the words at evil face.

"Oh, please Stork. Grow up. You should act your age more often, you know. Being surrounded by such young children all the time certainly can't be any good towards your mental health," she told me, obviously trying to bait me. I looked at her for a full moment.

"What…have…you…done…with…Finn," I repeated very slowly, staring daggers at the horrible girl.

"If you really must know, he's being taken back to Cyclonia to be kept as prisoner. Maybe your sick patients will come to save him," she said, longing filling her creepy voice.

"Give him back," my voice was flat.

"No, Stork. You don't need him. You don't need anyone," She whispered to me, her dark, violet eyes strangely alluring. "You could come to Cyclonia, where we want you. What do you do that makes you so loyal to those Storm Hawks? Do you ever get anything special or any kind of recognition like the others? Do you ever get the respect you deserve? Come to Cyclonia, Stork, and you could have everything you've ever _dreamed_ of," she said persuasivly, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them.

I stared, well, glared really, at the young empress. Why was she so obsessed with world domination? Wasn't her own kingdom enough?

"No." I stated firmly, folding my arms across my chest. I was surprised at my bravery actually, it was like some part of me had gone numb. Probably my rational side.

Her eyes narrowed into small slits, obviously not happy at my defiance. "Have it your way then, you filthy merb. Stay with your little team and lose, I don't care. Either way, I _will_ rule this world, and no one will stand in my way." She hissed at me, before promptly disappearing from my sight.

The cavern now returned to its usual dimlessness, and I started to feel strange… like something was wrong. Really wrong. Freaking out, I started running. Running where, I had no idea. I just had to run. It was about 9 minutes into my freaking-out-just-start-running-panic attack that I crossed something odd. How my eyes picked it out in the darkness, I had no idea, but it just started glowing. Walking to the odd object, I realised it was Finns crossbow thing, with a small vial of blue powder next to it.

"_Take it and hurry, save your friends, save the world!" _a whispery voice echoed, sending chills down my spine.

Freaking out even more, it wasn't long until I found the exit. Clambering up the walls, I was nearly fainting with exhaustion. Finally freeing myself of that dark underworld, I lay on the ground for a few minutes, catching my breath.

What was that strange voice? _Who_ was that strange voice? And _why_ did they give me the vial of Kraegon scales, already powdered and ready for use? What did they want?

Heading towards my beloved Condor, I nearly didn't notice the strange shadow lurking in the shade of the trees.

"_Hello, Stork,"_ its strange whispery voice greeted me. I nearly froze with shock. Turning around, all I saw was a figure shrouded in a black cloak. _"Don't be scared, I can help you!"_ the voice exclaimed, pulling down their hood.

Ofcourse she could. Ofcourse it had to be her to help me.

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**So what you think guys? Fun or a drag? I had to write that all up quick smart actually, so my sister wont find out when she gets home shortly :P Gosh, im such a rebel! ahahah. Anyway, as i said, vote on my poll and blahblahblah. Anywho, It may be a long while before i update again, theres a lot of hectic things about to pop up in my life and i must deal with them, so good luck to all you guys with 2010! Have a great, fantastic, awesome new years, and i hope 2010 is your year! Do your best guys, and make that new years resolution come true! I know im going to make mine come true... Even if it takes a lot of effort!  
Sincerely,  
Your loving author,  
And freshly fifteen rebelling teenager,  
****Phsyco xoxo**


	8. Strangerous Loul Crystal

**Sorry, Sorry, Sorry! Honestly, i am. Its been a while. Sorry guys, i had to focus on beggining year 10, spending quality time with my mates and focusing on my brand new job. Anyway, this chapters just something i wrote up quickly so sorry if its not very good, its a bit of a rushed job. Read and review, yesss? (:  
Replies to your overly lovely Reviews:  
pluvia somnium- Yeeah, im a cliffie kinda person (: i dont do a very good job on them most of the time though sadly... but i'll work on it!  
The Rose of the Rush- Ah, you happy ending suckers! Tragedy's waaay cooler, trust me ;) hahaha aw, but i SUPPOSE i can make it happy, for you people who want that... im way too nice (:  
Amethyst- Yeah, poor Stork.. i can identify with him in a way at the moment though, since im covered in the WORST rash on earth.. they think i have glandular fever :O I hope not! And yeah.. Finn'l be fine... maybe. He usually is though (:  
Smartkitty314- Why thankyou, thankyou very much (:  
delphigirl6890- Im so sorry if my mail thingoes to you are confusing... im confusing myself! But anyway, heres the next chapter after this massive wait... Yaaay!  
Midnight-Rose-Dew - Ahhh yes... Poor Finn. But is he really in Cyclonia? I dont know.. maybe you do? hahaha i was planning on making the hooded girl her, but then i decided to go a different way... as i always do :L  
- More. Hahaha kidding, but more has been written (:  
**_**SPOV**_

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It was her, the girl of my nightmares. The very one who had led me to find the Condor, to live in isolation for so very, very long. The very one who had removed me from my home, lured me towards the Condor knowing fully well that I wouldn't be able to resist the challenge of finding its key which belonged to Aerrow, and knew that I wouldn't be able to leave once my precious Condor started working.

"Please, just listen to me," the girl pleaded, an extremely anxious look on her face.

This was too much. Really. Wasn't it ever possible to have just _one _normal day? I stared at the silver eyed menace, about to turn my back and walk away when a thought struck me. She gave me those scales, _and _she wants to help… but help with what?

"Why should I listen to _you_?" I huffed, folding my arms across my chest, readying myself to turn around the split second she said something wrong.

"Because I can help," she whispered, stepping closer. "I have to do what I can… I can't let it all end because of this. I know you aren't fond of me Stork, you blame me for many things but I can truly say it wasn't my fault. Even if I hadn't found you and started all this, it would have happened anyway. This is your destiny, Stork. And try as you might, you can't change that... besides, I know where that Helix crystal is," She said, a triumphant smile slowly making its way across her face.

I looked at her in shock. _How_ did she know all this? It wasn't like I was running around the world yelling all of our troubles at the top of my lungs... though I probably should... I might get more help then.

"Why should I trust you?" I asked, although I already knew I was going too. It always tended to go that way.

"Did you not just hear a word of what I said? This is _important._ More important than staying mind worm free, more important than finding the people that make you happy... more important than love," she said softly, staring at me intently.

"... Okay. I'll trust you if you help get Finn back," I said as a compromise, deciding I might aswell get something out of this stupid mess.

"Oh... about that," she muttered, looking down at her cloaked feet suddenly.

"What," I stated, totally deadpanned.

"Well..." She hesitated. "I kind of whisked him away to the safest place on the planet for him, but the thing is... I don't quite know where that is..."

She trailed off as I stared at her, my jaw hanging out probably. No matter where Finn was, he would _never_ be safe... never ever! He caused trouble wherever he went. The boy was a walking disaster.

"_How?"_ I demanded, searching through my brain for some kind of explanation. _Magic? Witchery? _My mind couldn't find any plausible reason. Slowly reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small, clear yellow crystal.

"It's a specially designed crystal, a one of a kind," she said, in that soft voice of hers. "There's an age old fable that goes with it, and maybe it can help us in some way or another.

I found this crystal many, many years ago when I was out travelling on Terra Mountania. I was in a large pit of Vesipers, surely about to meet my own demise when I reached out for a rock, any rock, to give myself some chance of making it out alive. As I reached out for a rock, A Vesiper made a lunge at me, only to probably strike the boulder behind me. When I grabbed the rock, or actually crystal, I was thinking so hard of home, that when I opened my eyes again, I was actually there.

After many obsessed years of research, I finally chanced upon the explanation for my find." Her eyes looked far away now, and when she next spoke her voice sounded sad nearly.

"_Once upon a time, many long years ago, a young blacksmith had a lady love who was in trouble. She had landed herself on the wrong side of a deal, and was now in serious danger of losing her life. Greif stricken, the young man sought the help of a sorceress, a very dangerous thing to do in those days. Upon hearing the man's pleas to save his love, the sorceress decided that maybe she should help the young man for a certain price... his soul. Woefully agreeing, the sorceress created a brand new crystal, named the Loul crystal, which mainly contained the man's weeping soul. The man, now empty, had no feelings whatsoever. His desire to cry? Laugh? Eat? His feelings for his lady love? All gone. Though he was empty, he still knew that he had to deliver the crystal to her. Making the treacherous trip to the place she was confined, he handed the crystal to her and told her to wish herself safe._

_The young woman was weeping everywhere, not for her own chance of being saved, but for the loss of her man. She could see the emptiness in his eyes, the detachment in his voice. She knew what had happened. After wishing herself away, the man retreated towards the mountains, and though the woman ventured up there many times, subsequently losing her crystal somewhere in that process, was never seen again."_

She was nearly crying now, the tears threatening to break past her eyes. That was when it hit me... _she was the woman in the story!_

"That was you, wasn't it?" I asked carefully, fearing what her reaction would be. She merely nodded, before looking up at me again.

"I tried so hard to find him... but I failed. But I'm not letting that happen to you. You will get your teammates back, and you will keep the world from being overrun by that awful girl," she said with a slight smile, slowly returning back to her former self. "I won't let anyone else feel the pain of losing someone, which means stopping Cyclonis, which means saving your team... which means recruiting your help," She summed up, smiling at me again.

I tried to smile back, but all she got was a grimace. I had a bad feeling about this... and I had an itchy feeling on the back of my leg. Probably a rash.

**

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**Yay or nay? I tried to make it long but i just didnt have the energy.. sorry (: Anyway, it might be a LONG while before i update again, i just got bombarded with 5 assignments, each one giving me the worst headache. So yeah, read and review guys, and you might inspire me to write more (: so review all of you, even you anonymous people who cant be bothered logging in! I'm one of you sometimes, so i know how you feel.. but do it. Click that pretty little button and type your thoughts with your pretty little fingers, yes? Thankyou muchly (:**


	9. Where Are They Now?

**Suprise! A brand new chapter, all because i love you (: Now im going to go on a bit of a rant right now as i usually do, so this is just a quick update as im in a hunk of a rush right now, so quit mailing me bout when the next chapters going to be up, you three, because it will be up when i want it to be. I have other things in my life that are far more important than writing right now, okay? I apologise for my curtness, but that needed to be explained. Also, on this chapter i wont be replying to your reviews, even though they were the best yet. I just need to get my photography essay done by tomorrow or i am NOT going to be let out of that class till Sir kills me, okay? I also apologize for any grammar, spelling or any other kind of mistakes. Toodles (:

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_**PPOV**_

Something was wrong. Maybe it was the quiet atmosphere on the Condor, maybe it was because I couldn't hear Finn... being Finn, or maybe it was because I couldn't hear Stork preaching about some disease... but it was probably because neither of those two could be found onboard.

"Where'd they go?" I wondered aloud, looking around all the now seemingly empty space.

"I don't know, maybe they went for a walk?" Junko suggested, in his usual cute, naive, oblivious way.

"No... Stork would never leave the Condor unless he had to," Aerrow stated, before adding, "And with Finn? I wouldn't think he'd do something like that voluntarily."

"Maybe it's some more Domo stuff?" I asked hopefully, remember the last time we left the ship and they had some kind of adventure.

"No... They would have told us," Aerrow said in his usual smart way. Sometimes he just made so much... sense. We all sat there in silence for a few minutes, except when Junko got up to go get a snack, contemplating what could have taken place when Radar leapt up and started miming something. He was making large shapes with his hands, and something coming out of his head.

"A rock?" Aerrow suggested.

"A boulder?" I asked stupidly.

"... A unicorn?" We both said in unison, both totally confused.

Radar shook his head in frustration, before running towards my lab.

"No!" I cried out, trying to run forwards to stop him from ruining my current experiment, when I remembered that I couldn't exactly run or walk very well, let alone stand anymore. Falling over, a pair of steady hands caught me.

"Careful," he warned, steadying me on my feet again.

"Thanks," I mumbled, looking down at the floor in a foolish attempt to cover my blush. Thank Atmos I had dark skin.

"How are you feeling?" He asked quietly, sitting himself beside me.

"Okay," I mumbled, not trusting myself to say anymore. I was feeling awful. My stomach hurt, my head hurt, my feet hurt, even my _teeth_ hurt. I was working hard to not let anyone see how bad I was hurting... but I don't think they could ever fall for my bad acting.

"Are you sure?" He asked softly, which was nearly enough to make me cry. He was so _nice, _even though I didn't deserve it. I had gotten them all into this mess. Even though it was mainly Cyclonis's fault, I still felt it was mine... maybe if I was mentally stronger, mentally fitter; I could have created some barrier to protect myself from her wicked torture.

I was terrified to go to sleep at night now, because I knew she would be there. She mightn't have been there straight away, but soon enough she would show up and turn everything into an awful nightmare. She would laugh and jeer at me, until I couldn't scream at her any longer. She didn't try to hurt me physically in my dreams; it was all aimed at my mentality.

Endlessly she picked through my brain, seamlessly pulling apart all my deepest fears, insecurities and nightmares, then making them semi-real. She loved having the power she had over me now, she was absolutely ecstatic with what was happening.

Her favourite part though was when she would bring Aerrow into it. She knew how I felt about him, and that was the worst part. She would hurt him in the most gruesome ways imaginable, torture him with past memories, set the Dark Ace loose on him, then she would use some kind of crystal I was unsure of to make him believe it was all a dream, and none of it was in any way partly real.

He never talked about it when we were awake, since he thought it was all in his head, he thought that he was simply having some bad nightmares.

He was wrong.

"No, I'm not," I admitted weakly, feeling horrible. I felt a light pressure on my hand, and I looked over at it to see his smooth, white hand on mine.

"Don't worry, it'll all be okay. It always is," He said with a smile, as I felt my heart break in a way I never had before... because I knew he was wrong. There was no way this could all turn out to be okay.

I smiled weakly back at him, before turning my head towards the door. I heard Radar scampering down the hallway, and I was interested in what he might have to show.

Radar's little blue form rushed through the door, jumping up between me and Aerrow. Thumping a book on the desk, he flicked through the pages until he got to the one he wanted. Bringing the book closer to me, he pointed towards a blue picture.

Upon closer inspection, I realised that the blue picture on the page was actually a Kraegon. Radar started chirping as it all clicked in my head. _They must have gone to get the scales!_

"Wha... why?" I asked, dumfounded. Finn was hardly the type to go barging down into the lair of some ferocious beasts, and Stork would never set a foot into somewhere he thought would be riddled with infections and diseases.

"Because they care about you, Piper. We all do. More than you know," he said quietly, his eyes troubled. I couldn't help but feel touched from what he said... really. They never act like they appreciate me, and even when I ran away that time when I pretended to leave them, the person who came and found me was Aerrow, not Finn or Stork or Junko. I guess I just never realised how lucky I was to have them out risking their lives for me. It was sweet... in a weird, twisted way.

_**APOV**_

"Where'd they go?" Piper wondered absentmindedly. Looking at her frail, sick body, I couldn't help but feel a stab of worry deep in my gut. Things weren't going good lately.

Piper's health had been rapidly deteriorating, and we were no closer to finding the two other objects we needed to save her. We were only a third of the way into saving her, and we were running out of time quickly.

Her skin had now taken on a really pale, sickly quality, and her eyes no longer sparkled with intelligence and vitality. They were now dull, tired and filled with nothing. Her voice was no longer the bright chirp it used to be; she hardly spoke at all. But when she did, it sounded like she was dying.

_She is_, a voice whispered in my head, and I viciously fought it out of my head before it took a permanent residence there.

"I don't know, maybe a walk?" I heard Junko suggest hopefully, stealing glances outside the windows.

"No... Stork would never leave the Condor unless he had to," I reasoned, remember the few times he had actually left it, and the how brief the trips were, "And with Finn? I wouldn't think he'd do something like that voluntarily."

My thoughts contradicted my words once again though, remembering the time we had left them on the Condor alone, and they had actually ended up working together for a full day without killing each other.

"Maybe it's some more Domo stuff?" Piper's weak voice mused hopefully, but I knew we both knew it wasn't that.

"No... They would have told us," I said anyway, feeling a stab of regret as I saw the hopefulness fade from her.

_Dammit Aerrow, you should have let her think it was something trivial! Not that it's the horrible thing your thinking they're out doing! _My head was telling me furiously, so I looked down at the floor in shame.

I didn't bother raising my head as I heard the footsteps of Junko's exit the room, he'd be back soon enough. He was probably just worried about Finn.

The few minutes of silence felt like an eternity. I could her Piper's heavy breathing grow worse, and the strain it caused her. I lifted my head by just a bit so I could look at how she was doing. Instantly, I pushed my head back down again... I couldn't stand seeing her how she was.

It hurt.

"_Chirp, chiiirp!"_ I jumped about a metre in the air as an over excited Radar suddenly started jumped up and down, miming some sort of large circle with a stick.

"A rock?" I answered confusedly.

"A boulder?" Piper said uncertainly. She had no more of a clue then I did about what he was up to.

"...A unicorn?" We both said in unison, as Radar's impatience grew more pronounced as he ran out of the room.

"No!" Piper's weak voice tried to yell, as she attempted to stand up and stop him. I realised now he was headed for her lab. As soon as she tried to stand, her legs gave way and she was just about to hit the ground before I grabbed her.  
"Careful," I tried to warn her in my strongest voice, and I think she believed it, as she said thanks. A new hole of worry burned itself through me, gaping open as wide as daylight. When I caught her, I felt like she would snap between my hands. She felt like a tiny, porcelain doll, except she was about 100 times more breakable at that moment.

I kept my face composed as I faced her.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, even though I knew her response by heart.

"Okay," she grumbled under her breath, not even bothering to put on her usual act of "I'm fine, don't worry".

"Are you sure?" I said in a near whisper, instantly regretting it. I saw the sadness fill her face, as she turned away. I would've given anything at that moment to see her smile.

"No, i'm not," She admitted weakly, shocking me. I never expected her to admit that she wasn't going too good... it scared me.

"Don't worry, it'll all be okay. It always is," I reassured her with my best smile, nearly crying with joy when my voice didn't break or give away any signs of distress. She smiled at me, before turning her attention to the doorway. I turned to look too, as Radar raced up towards us and sat in the middle with a large, dusty old book.

I glanced up at Piper as he started rummaging through the pages, growling with frustration every time he couldn't find it.

Suddenly, he chirped with success as he pulled the book up in front of our faces and starting jabbing at a certain part of the page.

I knew it. They were so dead, if they weren't already.

The picture of the Kraegon shouted at me, its blue body filling my head.

"Wha...Why?" Piper's weak voice said with as much surprise as her voice could manage to convey, as she realised where they were.

"Because they care about you, Piper. We all do. More than you know," I let slip, blushing furiously. I took some comfort though as a small smile spread on her face. She appreciated feeling loved. It was at this time my gut started churning, my instincts alert. Something didn't feel right... like something bad was going to happen. Soon.

But I had been getting these feelings for a while, so I didn't pay much attention. Piper smiled and that was all that mattered.

For now.

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**Quick message, i was dissapointed with the reviews last chapter as i only recieved 4, so now i want ALL you lazy people who add my storys to your alert list and favourites to review aswell, or the writing process will take EVEN LONGER. Thats right, im getting tough! Watch out, kiddies. What'd you guys think about the two person views in this one chapter? Oh, i have a BRILLIANT idea! Tell me in a review! ;)  
Now off i trot kiddies to the land of unicorns & witchcraft. xo **


	10. Chapter 10

**I am so, _so_ sorry, honestly! I don't think anything I say can apologize enough. Firstly, let me explain. Real life got hectic, and then I changed fandoms. I'm part of the Final Fantasy 7 one now, and I am quite amazed at it, so that's where I've been. Secondly, I've tried for _months_ to write this, and I've finally pushed it out. I've lost interest, but I WILL finish it, even if it kills me. I will NOT leave you hanging, I could never do that. Not anymore. But updates WILL be longer to arrive, as I'm working on 4 other stories, and I have my Deviantart account I'm working on.  
That said, please enjoy this, and I promise to never leave it that long again without some kind of warning. Honestly. And this will seem really disjointed and weird, because my writing style has completely changed. I tried to revert back to the original style of this, but I don't think I succeeded. So... Sorry x a bajillion!  


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**PPOV**

"_Ahh, hello my dear. Asleep once again, are we?" Cyclonis greeted me casually, inspecting her nails half heartedly._

"_What is it now?" I sighed, folding my arms tightly against my chest, trying to reduce the amount of coldness affecting me. _

"_Oh, nothing... Just seeing how you're doing," she said seriously, before bursting out into unsuppressed cackles of witch-like laughter._

"_What, no nightmares, horror, gore...?" I asked in surprise, wondering why she hadn't already plunged me into my own special word of darkness, created by her own twisted imagination._

"_Oh no, not yet Pipey. I have something special for you this time," she grinned slowly, her eyes lighting up with violent delight. "To be honest, I was growing bored with the usual form of torture, so I've decided to go for something a little more... interesting," her voice hardened at the end, malice seeping through her words like poison._

"_You know what, Cyclonis? I don't care. Nothing you do can make me care anymore. Every night, you come up with some new sick, demented way of hurting me, and I just don't care anymore. You can keep your filthy imagination to yourself," I spat at her, sitting on the ground to partly add a little drama, but mainly so I could endure her new form of amusement a little better than I had been enduring the last few forms of horror from her. _

"_Now now, Piper. You might actually enjoy this!" she exclaimed, faking hurt at my cruel words. _

"_I doubt it," I muttered under my breath, but she still heard. She smiled with sick joy, pulling another picture out from under her cape. This time I couldn't see the picture, so I automatically grew nervous, but I tried my hardest to keep her from seeing it. _

_As soon as she touched the page with her finger, a sense of unease spread through my stomach like wildfire, burning all the butterflies that were in there, replacing them with a sick feeling._

"_H...Hello?" a small voice called out tentatively, their footsteps echoing in a hesitant fashion. _

_I could feel the sinking sensation in my stomach increase, and I fought a shiver of fright. I would not, could not let Cyclonis see me like this. Not anymore._

_Her grin – if it's possible – widened even more, her eyes alight with morbid anticipation. I kept my head facing away from her and the small voice though, I really didn't want to see what she conjured up this time._

"_Is this... where am I?" The voice, slightly stronger now asked, and I could hear her walking closer. My head shifted slightly towards the left and I caught a glimpse of blue boots._

"_Piper? Aren't you going to greet your new guest?"_

_I lifted my gaze to hers, and I could practically see my hate burning into her. _

"_No. I don't care anymore, Cyclonis. I just don't care."_

_She shook her head at me, tutting. "Now now, Piper, don't say things you don't mean," she grinned again, setting her eyes alight with vindictive joy. "I'm sure you're going to love this just as much as I am."_

"_Uhm... Pardon me, but where am I?" The voice was hesitant yet polite, tugging at the corner of my memories. Just where had I..._

"_Piper, I'd like you to meet Equa. I'm sure you two will recognise each other," her voice was sugar sweet honey, but it held a note of savage enjoyment._

_I heard a polite gasp, and a small hand clamped down on my shoulder, but it was feather light. Her hand was delicate, one could say._

"_Is it really..." the voice trailed off weakly, and I felt sick, right to my core. I know where that voice was from. I know who that voice was from... and it scared me, because I thought..._

"_...Mom?" It escaped as a whisper, but it held every emotion I had ever felt towards that woman. Love, hate, resentment, hurt, hope._

"_Please... let me see you," she asked quietly, and I instantly turned around. I could never... when had I last seen her? Not for years – eight years, to be exact. Eight whole years, and not a single word from her. I didn't know what to say... how to act..._

_I suppose I should be pleased to say that she looked exactly like I remembered, but that would be a lie._

_Her hair was in the same style as before – long, lusciously flowy, the exact shade of the night sky. Her blue dress hugged her body, flaring out as a pair of tights covered her long legs. Delicate hands were wrapped in black gloves, with a pearl bracelet hanging off her left wrist. _

_She was beautiful. But, the implications of this was not lost on me. I knew what this meant._

_She was dead. She had to be._

"_I don't... I'm so proud," she whispered, pulling me into a gentle hug. It took me a few moments to respond, my arms suddenly feeling heavy as lead._

"_It took me a while, but I think it was worth it. You know, considering what I can do now," Cyclonis spoke up, walking towards us. I instantly took a step back, and was surprised when I saw my mother glaring at Cyclonis with what could only be described as pure, utter hate. _

"_You," she whispered harshly, pointing a dainty finger at her, "are going to regret everything. You think you can get away with what you've done? You can't. You aren't God. You think that no one will know that you –"_

"Piper? Come on, time to wake up. We had some news," A voice broke through the haze of my mind, clearing up what fog there was. I hastily opened my eyes, eager to get away from the darkness that had just swallowed me – body and soul.

"News?" My voice sounded hoarse, not just from sleep, but I didn't want to dwell on that.

Aerrow nodded at my response, before gesturing to Stork who was standing next to him.

"Where's Finn?" I was genuinely confused, surely Finn managed to stay out of trouble.

"Well... that's the problem. To cut a long story short, he's at the safest place in the world for him. We just don't know where that is," Aerrow surmised sadly, rubbing the back of his neck.

I looked at Stork for confirmation, and he nodded with a rather pessimistic sigh. Of course Finn couldn't stay out of trouble. He never could.

"But, we have some help," he smiled a little, before pointing at the other end of the room. My gaze followed the path of his finger, before they landed on the figure of a somewhat whimsical looking figure.

"I have some rather valuable information that you might like to know, Piper," she stood up slowly, straightening up before gracefully walking towards me.

I looked at her with a weary smile. If Stork and Aerrow trusted her, then surely I could too. Just as I was about to ask her about Finn, the room started spinning sickeningly before I fell into complete darkness.

"_Did you really think you could get away so easily, dear Piper?"_


End file.
